Life skills students from Hampton Bays and Southampton high schools recently engaged in a first united hockey game at Hampton Bays High School.

During the sporting event, 23 life skills participants teamed up with high school student volunteers and staff to play three nine-minute periods with two floor hockey challenges. 

“These unified games are a great way to give our life skills students a real athletic experience,” said Drew Walker, director of health, physical education and athletics for the Hampton Bays School District. “They also offer all students the opportunity to build bonds and relationships with their peers.”

The united hockey game was organized by physical education teachers from both districts and was modeled after a unified basketball program that the two high schools initiated several years ago. The Special Olympics of New York supplied the equipment for the unified hockey game, including helmets, sticks, pucks, shin guards and gloves.